‘Tram’ Can’t be Separated From Kolkata’s Cultural Identity

Recently, the West Bengal government’s decision to withdraw the 150-year-old tram-car service from Kolkata’s roads has raised serious concern among a large section of citizens. Tram and environment lovers have decided to hit the streets in protest against the unilateral decision to withdraw trams without any consultation with the stakeholders.

The state transport minister has expressed his inability to allow trams to operate on city roads citing traffic congestion. Henceforth, the tram will run as a ‘heritage item’ only on a solitary stretch of the road from the Brigade Maidan to Esplanade in Kolkata. In this context, the utility and significance of trams in city transport infrastructure has been a focal point in debates.

Tram: A Subject of Conservation

The tram service, as a part of the city transport infrastructure, was introduced in 1873 during the British colonial era. The initial version was a horse-drawn tram that subsequently transformed into an electric vehicle and became a significant part of passenger transport in Kolkata.

Through a long span of time, the tram has become a part of the city's cultural icons, such as the Howrah Bridge on river Hooghly. Therefore, the operation of trams cannot be seen only as a subject of city transport but also as a mark of Kolkata’s cultural identity. The glorious role of tram workers in 1946 during the Kolkata riots is a remarkable part of the city’s history of fighting against communalism. 

The way the century-old masonry structures are preserved with the intervention of modern technology, so should the operation of trams in a 300-year-old city needs to be dealt with. The older heritage buildings with relatively shorter height occupy more space than the modern high-rises, yet those are being preserved to protect the cultural history of the city. Therefore, despite the tram being a slow-moving vehicle, it should be preserved as a mark of the city's cultural identity in a scientific way in selected stretches of roads to mitigate the emerging need of cleaner road transport infrastructure.

Tram as Cleaner Transport

It may be noted that the pollution level in Kolkata has reached an alarming level due to the accelerated growth of motor vehicles. It was felt during the Covid pandemic that the most critical need for survival of lungs was fresh and less polluted air in urban areas.  Since then, the need for cleaner transport has become a focal point in the densely populated city in a bid to reduce air pollution. In this backdrop, the operation and significance of trams need to be redefined. In more than 450 cities in the world, the tram service is still in operation in view of it being a cleaner mode of transport. The per capita energy consumption is second lowest in trams after the bicycle.

There is no denying that the degree of congestion on city roads during day or evening peak hours have become a point of concern for city traffic management. Kolkata, with only 6% road space with high vehicle density, has a journey speed of around 15-16 kmph during peak hours, characterising it as a ‘slow city’. But the root cause of the decrease in vehicle speed is not trams but lack of effective traffic management.

The effective width of carriageways on city roads and the unruly movement of vehicles are two major factors for congestion in Kolkata. The road length in the city is about 1,850 km, which consists of arterial routes and connecting branch roads. Though most of the road sections have signals, the timings of the signals are faulty, which often causes congestion at intersections. The effective carriageway width in city roads has been reduced due to illegal street parking and encroachment by vendors, which has significantly lowered the carrying capacity of roads, resulting in slower movement of vehicles.

Tram is Not the Cause of Congestion

The tram is essentially a tracked vehicle that cannot change its direction on the whims of its driver. Its tracks are well defined in the city road network. Therefore, it is impossible for trams to encroach the path of other vehicles even though it is a relatively slow-moving vehicle. However, if the average journey speed of a city is less than 20 kmph due to poor traffic regulation and high vehicle density, then the speed of trams is less important.

Slow and fast-moving vehicles on city roads hardly follow lane driving, which often causes severe congestion. Therefore, the blame of congestion cannot be put on the operation of trams. Rather the benefit of trams as cleaner mass transport should be considered by the government. 

One-third of Kolkata’s population lives in slum areas. Moreover, a large number of working-class people covers a fleet distance of 5-7 kmph within the city. In this context, trams can be a cheaper mode of mass transport for the poorer and lower middle-class people. The initial cost of installation of a tram track is higher but the cost of operation of an electric tram is much cheaper than the conventional city bus transport. In Kolkata, 85% of bus transport   is under the private sector. Therefore, due to the abnormal rise in fuel costs, when the future of privatised bus transport is in the dark, the tram could have become a brighter alternative.

Bengal Government: An Unwilling Horse

But the West Bengal government seems an ‘unwilling horse’ when it comes to working out an eco-friendly solution for the transportation problem. The government policy is looking for a solution to withdraw the trams and to sell out properties of tram depots for real estate development. The way the land of a few such depots have been sold suggest irregularities and corruption. It has been reported that government land and properties are being sold regularly by the state administration, from ruling party leaders who are getting huge financial benefits. The move to earn ‘cut money’ using ‘threat syndicates’ to grab government assets has become a norm, starting hospitals to tram depots.  

The Calcutta High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation on December 11 last year, had suggested that a public-private partnership or PPP model could be used to restore and rejuvenate tram car services in Kolkata. Unfortunately, the recent action of the state government is contrary to the spirit of the court and wishes of the people. The ruling dispensation has failed to realise that the city’s heritage cannot be sold as a consumer durable. Rather, it should be preserved with caution and care.

The writer is Professor, Department of Construction Engineering. Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The views are personal.